Bittersweet Valentine
by Ephemeral Muse
Summary: He was hers, bound to her with a wedding ring. She was his, attached to him with an infatuation bordering obsession. She loved him. He loved somebody else. D1896 Triangle. V-Day fic.


A/N: HAPPY HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY DARLINGS! ;D I was planning on writing a V-Day fic for a while now, but I couldn't think of a topic/theme/prompt to write about. Sooo, being the resourceful person I am, I called upon my fellow peers/writers for a prompt and a pairing!

**L-L-Love** asked for a fluffy D18 fic involving Dino being to wimpy to to confess to Kyoya with a HAPPY ENDING (arghh). **Great Question** asked for some Chrome love. **CookiesxCreams** wanted the theme to be "Chocolates". **thPeekaBoo**'s prompt involved Dino and phone calls.

I aim to please, and so.....Here's a fluffy 96x18xD love triangle fic involving some fluff, chocolates, and a mention of phone calls. Oh, and a happy ending. ARGH.

Please enjoy, and don't forget to review! X3

Disclaimer: "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!"'s characters, plot, and all other affiliates of the manga and anime belong to Amino Akira, meaning it does not belong to me whatsoever. I own solely this piece of literature, and thus I would also appreciate it if fellow authors and writers do not steal any of my work. Thank you, and enjoy "Bittersweet Valentine".

* * *

Bittersweet Valentine

_A ChromexHibarixDino Love Triangle Fic_

He was hers. That was a fact; they even had a wedding ring to prove it. She was his, and his alone. She loved him with an infatuation bordering obsession, and will never love another the same way.

He didn't love her.

Of course, he tolerated her. He wouldn't have married her if he didn't , no matter how many death threats he would've received from her patron. She was amusing, as well, very amusing. Was that why he said yes when she asked?

Fact: Chrome Dokuro was one of the few humans alive that could put a smile on Hibari Kyoya's face.

But that didn't mean that he had to love her with all his heart. No, they both knew from the very beginning: you can put as many chains, locks, and contracts on him, but no mortal on the face of the planet can tie down the skylark against his will.

He had never loved her the same way, she had come to terms with that the first time she laid eyes on him. His posture, his physique...every single cell that belonged to Hibari Kyoya screamed uncontrollable, unreachable. He was free, and a mere girl like her could never confine him.

There was one thing, however, that she didn't know and he didn't realize until it was too late.

Fact: Hibari Kyoya's heart wasn't free anymore. Somebody stole it, captured it. And it wasn't Chrome.

* * *

The first time Hibari laid eyes on him, the man smiled at him with not a single ounce of hostility in his soul. But he was strong, that much Hibari could tell. Still, a herbivore was a herbivore, and Hibari's job entitled him to bite all the herbivores in the world to death. He originally thought that the Italian would only last a couple of hours the most, but he lasted.

It took him years upon years to realize that his annoyance of the man had slowly, ever so slowly, turned into a grudging, bittersweet affection.

Fact: Hibari Kyoya, in all his life, never managed to bite to death Dino Cavallone. Not. Once.

It is still a question as to just when did Chrome realize that there truly was no hope for the two of them. Was it when Dino started making phone calls to "check up on" Hibari? Or was it when Hibari stopped ignoring the daily phone calls from Dino?

Dino, on the other hand, was a tad less ignorant about his feelings. He knew, from the first time he set eyes on the Japanese boy, that this was the man that he would fall for. He just didn't realize how hard he would have fallen.

But alas, Dino is Dino. And Dino will always be the oblivious, cheesy person he is. And being the oblivious, cheesy man he is, Dino Cavallone was the only person who didn't understand the status quo. To the young boss, Hibari and Chrome had the ideal, archetypal relationship one could hope for. And Dino being the considerate person he is, didn't want to hurt this beautiful marriage.

By that point, everyone knew that Hibari had started to fall in love with Dino. Everyone, that is, except for Dino. And everyone, including Hibari, knew that Dino loved Hibari. Only Dino never realized that his feelings were so transparent, and tried his best to support Hibari and his wife's marriage.

Fact: Dino Cavallone was most likely the most oblivious, humble, considerate man who dared to be a mafioso.

* * *

Being as that may, the truth still hurt for the girl left behind. Though she was a smart, realistic woman, she was a woman nonetheless, and she had given everything she had to keep her skylark. Still, in the end, she had no choice but to face the facts: There was no point in still putting up with this facade. She had held him down for long enough, and while he never complained, she had promised.

It was a promise to an empty room abandoned in the middle of the night, but if there was one thing she had been taught from her savior, it was to keep her promises. She would keep that bitter promise made in the dark depths of depression fueled by loneliness and tears of rejection, if only because of her pride.

Hence, even though he could break the cage himself, she'll open the door and let him fly away herself. Because if one day his heart was truly taken by another, she will let him go. And so, she did.

When he first saw the papers of divorce, he grabbed her retreating arm and stared, his eyes questioning and searching. Wasn't this marriage for her? Wasn't this what she wanted? Did he do something for her to want this?

She returned his searching eyes with a resolute gaze that veiled sorrow and compassion. He needed to know this. She loved him, with a ardency that was too strong for words, too deep for her to express. She would let him go. Not because he did anything wrong, and not because she stopped loving him, but rather _because_ she loved him.

Slowly, he loosened his grip on her arm, eyes never leaving hers. He understood, but there was a foreign feeling running through his veins, one he did not understand. He paused, conflicted. There was something left unsaid that needed to be heard in words, before she left for the last time. Something that told her just how much it meant for her to be there all these years, despite her unrequited love.

"Thank you."

She froze, in the middle of the doorway. Trembling, she stood there in the cold, not knowing what to do. She had locked her passion, her rapture somewhere deep in her heart so that she could leave him without breaking down. Those two words, though...those two words snapped the lock open.

With tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she turned slightly, just enough for him to see the weak smile on her face, and whispered loud enough for him to barely hear her parting words.

"I love you, Kyoya. No matter what happens, I'll always be your number one supporter."

Fact: No matter who he falls in love with, no matter where he goes, Chrome Dokuro will never be able to hate or spite Hibari Kyoya, because she has never learned to resist him.

* * *

When he first heard the news, he spilled his coffee over all the paperwork on his desks. His ears ringing, his head hurting, he wondered if he had heard wrong. That ideal marriage, that optimal relationship...Just what could have possibly destroyed it?

Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Chrome Dokuro knocked on the dark mahogany door before walking in. She paused, staring at the coffee-stained papers and Dino's shocked gaze, before passing on a few words. Without waiting for his stuttering response, she turned around and left, the loud slam of the door being the only indication that she came at all.

Although Dino, under ordinary circumstances, would have never considered doing this so soon after their divorce, he was pushed into it by Chrome. And because he felt guilty towards Chrome, he followed her every request and command for the next two weeks.

* * *

Fact: Dino, being Dino, did not understand a single thing about Valentine's Day and its traditions.

Therefore, Dino had no clue why he was holding beautifully wrapped chocolate, courtesy of Chrome, in front of Hibari's door. All he knew was that Chrome told him to make chocolate for Hibari because Hibari liked bittersweet chocolate. And thus, holding a flashy, wrapped chocolate, he hesitated before knocking on the skylark's door.

Hibari was, needless to say, speechless for a moment or so. He woke up in an empty bed for the fourteenth time in the last 5 years, and was jolted from a nap by a visitor knocking on his door. Annoyed for all the reasons mentioned, he surmised to bite to death whoever was standing on the other side, and opened the gate to see a strangest sight in the last two weeks.

Dino Cavallone. The stupid Italian mafioso. Holding a Valentine's Day chocolate.

After staring at the abnormal sight for 2 minutes, he slowly raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think you're doing, herbivore?"

Blushing, Dino stuttered about Chrome and chocolate and how he thought that Hibari might enjoy something sweet.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Hibari smirked. Taking the chocolate, he carefully unwrapped the sweet, before biting a piece off. Chewing in his tantalizing, deliberate manner, Hibari glanced at Dino through his dark lashes. The blonde was fidgeting, not knowing whether or not Hibari would whip out his tonfa and throw away his hard work.

Hibari swallowed. Dino's eyes shot up to stare intently at Hibari. What was going to happen? Was he going to get ticket to the hospital?

Biting off another piece of the chocolate, Hibari grabbed Dino's coat and tugged him roughly. Stumbling in surprise, Dino looked up only to have lips crashing down on his own. The sweetness of the chocolate engulfed his senses. Before he managed to make sense of the situation, Hibari moved away.

"H-h-Hibari?!"

It was almost cute, the way the older man was stuttering, and blushing the same way a middle-schooler does after his first kiss.

Hibari did nothing but smirk for a minute or so, before taking hold of Dino once more. Before his lips touched the other's, though, they first brushed the blonde's ear with a tantalizing whisper.

"_Happy Valentine's Day, herbivore."_

* * *

Ahahaha....So how was it? This is probably the fluffiest thing I can come up with, sorry!! ._.;;

I think I did pretty well combining everyone's prompts/requests/challenges though!! 8D

Well, hope y'all enjoyed it. Review for a cookie! :D


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